In their second game of the season this past Saturday, the No. 15 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (2-0) fought both wet, sloppy conditions and a physical No. 17 Towson (0-2). High offensive production in the first half allowed them to post a lead early on that they would carry throughout the game, culminating in a 13-10 victory. Sophomore attacker Caroline Tarzian led the offensive effort for the Hoyas with 5 goals, all of which came in the first half, and 2 assists, earning her a spot on the Big East Honor Roll.
“It doesn’t change the game plan, I think we just have to be mentally focused a little bit more,” said Head Coach Ricky Fried on playing through inclement weather. “We’ve got to get that out of our heads and we’ve got to focus on what we’re able to do and not focus on the conditions.”
Georgetown experienced only a momentary deficit in the first two minutes of the game when Towson nabbed an early goal. Tarzian responded immediately though, netting two for the Hoyas in the next two minutes. Towson struggled to adjust to the slippery turf and several of their drives ended with a loss of traction or errant passes. The Hoyas tried to take advantage of their opponent’s lack of fluidity in moving the ball up the field by utilizing their sharper passing around the arc.
“I think our offense moved really well as a whole. Most of our goals came off assists or we were wide open,” said Tarzian.
Towson managed to keep the Hoyas’ lead at 1 until halfway through the first half when Tarzian’s fourth goal made the score 6-4. Georgetown would maintain control of possession for much of the rest of the half, scoring three more times while seeing off any threats at their own end in the final 19 minutes. Key to the offensive domination were the 10 turnovers by Towson, 8 of those forced by the Hoyas. Georgetown’s defense was smothering inside the arc, preventing the Tigers from taking any quality shots as the half ended with a score of 9-4.
After a slow start to the second half, senior attacker Rosie Corcoran notched the Hoyas’ 10th goal off an assist from Tarzian. Towson responded with an amped up attack, scoring three straight goals with two coming from attacker Sarah Maloof, making the score 10-7 with 13 minutes left. Junior midfielder Kelyn Freedman ended the run, though, swinging around the backside of the net and firing a shot past the Towson goalie as she dove into the lane. The Hoyas held onto the lead for the final 10 minutes of the game as the two teams traded scores to reach the 13-10 finish.
The day’s offense was a promising sign as the Hoyas were able to execute plays throughout the game to stay on top of the Tigers. Possession was also an important factor in both tiring out their opponents and gaining key opportunities to keep putting points on the board.
“I think possession was huge and I think our offense was really moving at pace and looking for great opportunities which allowed us to have wide open shots,” Freedman said.
Women’s lacrosse will next take on Princeton Firday at 4 p.m. on Multi-Sport Field in an attempt to continue their undefeated start to the 2013 season.
